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This morning I had the privilege of participating in an important conversation about Public Transit in Metro-Detroit. We are one of the few large metropolitan areas without a regional transit system. Recently the state established a Regional Transit Authority and a property tax vote will likely go on the ballot in 2016. The Metro Coalition of Congregations, which sponsored this event, and which I serve as President, sponsored this event and are working to be a leading voice for transit. We believe that this is a justice issue. We believe this is a work that can help lead to healing of the divisions that are present in the community. Here are my opening remarks offered this morning. At the end of the post I will post links to two news articles that have been put up by local papers discussing the event. I encourage you to follow the links and read the articles, for they give you a flavor of the event -- though they lack the moral imperative that we sought to share.

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Good morning. My name is Dr. Bob Cornwall. I am the Senior
Minister of Central Woodward

Christian Church of Troy and I serve as President of
the Metro Coalition of Congregations. On
behalf of the Coalition and the Harriet Tubman Center, welcome to the Better Transit, Better Business Summit. I want to especially thank Ron Kagan and the
Detroit Zoo for hosting us.

The MCC is a faith-rooted community organizing collaborative
working in suburban Detroit, and one of our primary concerns is the development
of a world class regional transit system for South East Michigan. Today’s conversation is focused on the
relationship of mass transit and job creation.
Those of us who are clergy understand that better transit can create a
better business environment, but we also want to make sure that this leads to
an opportunity for everyone in the community to have a better life.

It
is appropriate that we gather at the Detroit Zoo, which sits at the corner of
Woodward Avenue and the 696 Freeway. This
is an important crossroads of trade and culture, linking Detroit with Oakland
County; Macomb County with Anne Arbor. We each represent specific interests: Businesses need employees and customers. Local communities need jobs and revenue so
that services can be rendered. Together,
we can work for the common good of all.

While the benefits of regional transit are often on the tips
of our tongues, public transit is not necessarily at the top of everyone’s
agendas. But, if we wish to have vibrant
economy that benefits everyone living in this region, we might want to look at
other communities across the nation that are reaping the benefits of good
regional transit systems. We don’t even
have to go to Chicago – we just have to look to Grand Rapids.

Our coalition stands in solidarity with the people of this
region, many of whom are part of our congregations, who need efficient,
reliable, and affordable public transit so they can get to their jobs, to
school, to medical treatments, to shopping and to cultural events. While we’re saddened that so many of our
young people are leaving Metro-Detroit for cities like Chicago and New York that
have reliable regional transit systems, you don’t have to be a young adult to
want or need access to public transit.

Let me give you just one example. My congregation, along with the Congregational
Church of Birmingham, hosts homeless citizens for a week each year through the
South Oakland Shelter. One of the things
I’ve learned over the years is that many living in these shelters are working
people who need reliable public transportation to get to their jobs, but neither
of our congregations, which sit on major thoroughfares, has a bus stop nearby.

As a coalition of faith communities, we are motivated by the
biblical call to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We have heard the prophetic call to stand in
solidarity with those living on the margins of society, lending our voices on
behalf of those who most often rely on public transit. The MCC is a suburban-located organizing
collaborative, but we believe that it is time to heal the wounds of division in
the region, a division that often has significant class and racial
components. We believe that a truly regional
transit system can contribute to this vision.

Our conversation this morning will be facilitated by MCC clergy
and by Craig Fahle, who has graciously agreed to vacate his radio show to be
with us this morning. Conversation is
good, but only if it leads to action. Therefore,
let us join together to make this dream a reality.

My colleague, the Rev. Louise Ott, who is Pastor of
Congregational Church of Birmingham in Bloomfield Hills and the chair of our
Transit task force, along with being a member of the RTA’s Citizen’s Advisory
Council, will speak to the current transit situation and introduce to you the
Regional Transit Authority Board and the person who has been called to lead the
RTA. Please welcome, Rev. Ott.

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I am a Disciples of Christ pastor, theologian, community activist, historian, teacher. I'm a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary with a M.Div. and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology. I'm the author of a number of books including
Out of the Office: A Theology of Ministry (Energion, 2017), Marriage in Interesting Times (Energion, 2016), and Freedom in Covenant (Wipf and Stock, 2015).